January meeting of Czech Senate begins

On Wednesday, the Czech Senate will convene for its January meeting, and an amendment to extend protection of refugees from Ukraine from Russian military aggression will be the main point of the meeting. The Senate is expected not to approve the amendment to the so-called ‘lex Ukraine’, due to controversial parliamentary amendments. The Human Rights Committee rejected tightening the conditions for Russian applicants for Czech citizenship, while the Social Affairs Committee rejected the proposal to make unauthorised activity for a foreign power a new crime, which would be punishable by up to five years in prison. The committees agreed to abolish the possibility of setting a specific date for children of Ukrainian refugees to enrol in the first grade of primary schools.